


the wrists of idleness

by MiniNephthys



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-06-01 01:07:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6494851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiniNephthys/pseuds/MiniNephthys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mettaton is made to take a break from filming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the wrists of idleness

**Author's Note:**

> This is my 100th Undertale fic! /confetti

Mettaton is always filming.

Part of that is that the underground desperately needs something new, anything new. When you’re trapped in the same small space for years upon years, nothing changes, and all the monsters have to look forward to is the new episode of Mettaton’s show.

Mettaton does everything he can to keep his shows from going stale, and that means performing in as wide a variety of series as he can: cooking shows, murder mysteries, recorded concerts, the works. Unlike most monsters, he doesn’t have to sleep, which helps him pack in as much stage time as possible.

Someone notices.

“Mettaton,” Alphys begins, pulling on one of his wires, “when was the last time you had a day off?”

He chuckles, completely at ease. It’s just a regular maintenance session, after all. “I don’t know the meaning of the word, darling. There’s no rest for the underground’s greatest star.”

She frowns. “J-just because you can film all the time, doesn’t mean you should. You’re going to overwork yourself.”

“Alphys, Alphys, I’ll be just fine.” He waves a hand dismissively, the one she’s not working on. “I appreciate your thoughts, but the show must go on.”

She falls silent for the rest of his maintenance, and he assumes she’s just concentrating on fixing him up.

* * *

Mettaton’s room is in the highest loft of the resort, the closest to the barrier that separates monsters from humans. He doesn’t sleep, but he does go back to recharge his batteries now and again and take quick breaks. Besides, he’s had trouble getting an entire camera crew willing to work at four in the morning.

Once it’s what’s considered a polite hour by monster society, he dials up his secretary. “Honey, tell me what my schedule is for today.”

Their answer is immediate: “You’re off for the whole day, sir. No filming until tomorrow.”

“...what,” he says, because what else is there to say?

“It’s a new holiday,” they explain. “A day celebrating workers and giving them time to spend with their families. The king declared it last week - weren’t you paying attention?”

Mettaton wasn’t. He was busy filming, and rarely watches anything other than his own show. Although, ‘last week’ immediately calls to mind that conversation with Alphys…

“Enjoy your break, sir,” they go on, and Mettaton manages a “you too, darling,” before they hang up.

Mettaton stares at his phone for a few seconds more, before making his plan of action.

This plan is almost immediately foiled by the fact that Alphys isn’t in her lab for once, and is also not picking up her phone. Mettaton can guess that she’s probably with Undyne if she’s anywhere, but lecturing her about getting the king to institute national holidays just so he’ll take a break sounds less appealing if Undyne is present.

Even his rectangular body can be suplexed. It doesn’t hurt, but she can still do it.

So he paces around the lab for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. Visiting his family is not happening. He doesn’t have many close friends he’d want to see, either. Waterfall is full of memories that give him emotions that he just doesn’t want to deal with right now, and Snowdin is just not his favorite place to be, so that leaves sticking around in Hotland or possibly traveling to New Home.

He heads back to the resort.

“Omigosh, is that Mettaton?”

“Shh! He’ll hear us!”

He’s at the doors to the resort when he overhears two fans. They’re badly hiding themselves, peeking out of an alleyway, and while he tries not to show favoritism to his fans…

“Hello, darlings.” Mettaton gives them his most winsome voice. They giggle and point to themselves. “Yes, you two. Would you be willing to help me with a little problem I have?”

“Would we ever!” says the cat, sparkling in delight.

“What is it?” says the alligator, just as excited.

“You see, I have a sudden abundance of time off today, and I simply don’t know what to do with it,” he says. “So, what do people do on their vacations, exactly?”

The girls look at each other.

“You don’t get days off?” the alligator asks.

He replies, “The underground needs my charming face twenty-four seven, honey.”

“That’s kind of sad…” the cat mumbles, not so quietly that he can’t make it out. “Well, when Bratty and I have time off, we like to go find cool stuff at the garbage dump, but that’s not super glamorous, I guess?”

“Not glamorous at all,” he says.

Bratty thinks it over more carefully. “If we’re not doing that, then Catty and I just like to hang out together,” she says. “Even if we’re not really doing anything, it’s nice being with friends.”

There’s that ‘friends’ thing again. Something he doesn’t ordinarily miss, but in the absence of the spotlight he feels the lack of them a bit more keenly.

Catty and Bratty look at each other as the silence drags for a few moments, and some silent communication passes between them.

“Do you want to hang out with us?” Bratty asks, slow and unsure. “We, like, promise absolutely no garbage will be involved.”

Normally he would have said no, that he can’t show favoritism to any of his adoring fans. But the idea of spending the rest of the day by himself is one he doesn’t want to explore any further.

“That sounds wonderful,” he says, and he thinks their faces light up in delight for more than just one reason.


End file.
